From: baalke@zagami.jpl.nasa.gov (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
Subject: NASA's Newest Unmanned Aircraft Makes Successful First Flight
Date: 9 Jun 2003 20:00:40 GMT
Organization: Jet Propulsion Lab
Approved: sci-space-news@zagami.jpl.nasa.gov
Message-ID: <bc2p18$o2e$1@nntp1.jpl.nasa.gov>


Michael Braukus
Headquarters, Washington              June 9, 2003
(Phone: 202/358-1979)

Alan Brown
Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif.
(Phone: 661/276-2665)

RELEASE: 03-193

NASA'S NEWEST UNMANNED AIRCRAFT MAKES SUCCESSFUL FIRST 
FLIGHT

     A milestone in the development of high-altitude, long-
endurance, remotely operated aircraft occurred today with 
the successful flight of NASA's Altair. Altair is the first 
unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to feature triple-redundant 
flight systems and avionics for increased reliability. 

The slender-wing aircraft lifted off the runway at General 
Atomics Aeronautical Systems' Inc. (GA-ASI) flight test 
facility at El Mirage, Calif. The purpose of the historic 
first flight was to evaluate the UAV's basic airworthiness 
and flight controls. After the successful test flight, 
Altair glided to a landing on the remote desert runway. The 
entire flight was conducted at low altitude within a 
relatively short range of the El Mirage flight test 
facility.

"This is what we've been waiting for," said Glenn Hamilton, 
Altair project manager at NASA's Dryden Flight Research 
Center (DFRC), Edwards, Calif. "Now we can move forward with 
getting UAVs into the national airspace and conducting 
research," he said. 

Thomas J. Cassidy, president and chief executive officer of 
San Diego-based GA-ASI, echoed Hamilton's comments. 
"Altair's first flight is a culmination of 10 years of 
experience in building reliable unmanned aircraft based on a 
common design philosophy," Cassidy said. "I am very proud of 
our design, manufacturing and flight-readiness teams for 
their dedication to a high performance level of excellence." 
Built to performance specifications established by NASA's 
Earth Science Enterprise, Altair is an extended-wing version 
of the MQ-9 Predator B military UAV being developed under a 
partnership with GA-ASI. Altair is one of several UAVs 
designed for civil applications that have been developed or 
matured under the Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor 
Technology (ERAST) program at DFRC. 

After initial airworthiness test flights, Altair will serve 
as the avionics test aircraft for the production version of 
the MQ-9 before being transferred to NASA. At DFRC, Altair 
will first be used to evaluate various new control 
communications and collision-avoidance technologies that are 
critical to enabling UAVs to fly safely in national 
airspace.

Eventually NASA will use Altair for a variety of 
environmental science missions, such as volcanic 
observation, forest fire monitoring and atmospheric 
sampling. The UAV may be ideal for missions that are often 
too dangerous, difficult or lengthy for manned aircraft. 
UAVs are uniquely positioned to perform long missions that 
have repetitive routines.

Altair is expected to be the first UAV to meet Federal 
Aviation Administration requirements to operate from 
conventional airports, with piloted aircraft, in the 
national airspace. In addition to triple-redundant avionics, 
Altair is configured with a fault-tolerant, dual-
architecture flight control system. The UAV will be equipped 
with an automated collision-avoidance system and an air 
traffic control voice relay. The relay allows air-traffic 
controllers to talk to ground-based Altair pilots through 
the aircraft.

Command and control of the Altair, as well as research data 
gathered by the UAV, will be transmitted through an "over 
the horizon" satellite link. The link will also allow 
scientists to receive research information as soon as Altair 
obtains it. 

Altair has been designed to fly continuously for up to 32 
hours. It can reach an altitude of approximately 52,000 feet 
and has a maximum range of about 4,200 miles. Altair can 
carry up to 750 pounds of sensors, radar, communications and 
imaging equipment in its forward fuselage. The Altair is 34 
feet long, with a wingspan of 86 feet, 22 feet longer than 
Predator B. A 700 horsepower, rear-mounted turboprop engine 
powers Altair with a three-blade controllable-pitch 
propeller. NASA and GA-ASI are jointly funding development 
of the Altair and Predator B prototypes under the ERAST 
program. GA-ASI built Altair's predecessor, the Altus 2. 

For video footage of the test flight, call 661/276-2665. 
Photos are available at: 

http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/Gallery/Photo/Altair_PredatorB/inde
x.html

For information about NASA and aerospace programs on the 
Internet, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov


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